Seriously I don’t think it’s possible to give a negative review for bands on Facedown/Strikefirst Records as their roster of bands has been consistently great since their very start. Metalcore to hardcore and even melodic death metal Facedown/Strikefirst Records never disappoints in delivering high quality Christian bands to the masses.

With that being said, Ace Augustine is here with their Strikefirst Records debut album The Absolute. Taking a more streamlined metalcore approach with clean vocals and crushing breakdowns, the band has managed to create an exhilarating first effort and even though their sound is a bit dated, the album rips from start to finish.

Heart wrenching solos (“Negotiations”), crushing beat downs (“Axioms”) and even southern flare (“The Absolute”) the songs all got their own trademark and none of them sound the same. And did I already mention that the breakdowns flat out rule on this beast? No? The breakdowns on this beast flat out rule! There. Not only are they crushing, they’re perfectly lined up within each song.

It’s no surprise that Ace Augustine‘s lyrical roots lie in Christianity, as they belong to the ever growing herd of one of the biggest Christian labels there is. That fact alone will no doubt deter quite a few listeners away from the music, which is  a damn shame, considering the music displayed here is undeniably awesome. Religious lyrics or not, the music is just so well written and perfectly constructed that not even the dumb song titles (“2013 Looks Promising”) are able to hinder its cause.

If one is hankering for some really good metalcore—Christian or not—then definitely give The Absolute a chance and something tells me that these guys will no doubt kill in a live situation as well.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments